A/N: Before anything else, I just want to extend another thank you to my reviewers. I'm really happy with the response this story has gotten so far. Thank you guys for taking the time to write out your thoughts to me. I'll keep doing my best to entertain you guys. Having said that...

Warning: You are not ready for this chapter. Not even close to ready. You're about to find out I'm low-key evil. Muhahahahaha!

Disclaimer: Because I am low-key evil at the moment, I'm not going to write one for this chapter.

Title song: Voice of Light composed by Sawano Hiroyuki with vocals from Aika Sekiyama. The few English lyrics you can hear in this song really tie into the theme of this chapter a lot. I couldn't find a full translation of the song lyrics, but it's a fantastic song I've been listening to for two or three years now, so definitely take a listen if you feel so inclined.

Voice of Light

This world is...creepy.

I've been to someplace like it before, minus the creepy. It was a serene world with pure blue skies dotted with soft clouds and a glass floor flooded with water so clear it reflected the sky above.

Without a doubt, it was one of the most breathtaking places I ever saw.

And that's saying something. I've seen a lot of different worlds. Can't remember any of them at the moment, but I know I saw them. The experiences I lived through are still part of me ,and so are all the friends I made along the way. Somewhere, they're still thinking of me.

I only wish I could remember all their names and faces. All I can manage to see is a vague silhouette of most of them. Others are clearer though. I can even recall a few names.

There's Donald and Goofy. The King.

Riku.

Kairi...

Kairi is the person I'm able to picture most easily, and on some level I know she's part of the reason I'm suspended here now. She was someone I had to save. I made that promise to her and kept it. There were other promises I made to her too...but those promises are lost to me now. I can't remember. Hard as I try to, I just can't call details like that to mind. Not of her...not of anyone.

It's not that my memories are gone. They're just incomplete. There's a lot missing.

That should bother me, yet for some reason it makes me laugh. Not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because the few memories I'm able to hold on to serve no real purpose other than to keep me from thinking about where I am now and how...disorienting it is.

Instead of pure blue skies, the void above is a really sinister looking red. The clouds are black and sometimes they drip inky blobs of goo against the flooded floor below me. The water remains clear despite the goo that mixes in from time to time. Like in the other world I saw, the floor is a reflection of the sky. Everywhere I look is a hue of that nasty crimson color and well...

This place isn't...scary exactly, but it's not a fun time either.

It's eerily silent. No one else exists here.

I'm not used to being alone like this. It's...lonely.

Being able to see the silhouettes and faces of people I knew and sacrificed my existence for is comforting...but it hurts too. It hurts because I don't actually remember them. I know they're friends of mine only because of the feelings that stir inside when their images appear in my mind.

There are others that appear too though. Enemies from my past.

I don't really remember them either, but seeing some of their faces puts me on edge. Their presence in my thoughts bring back past fears. I set those fears aside back then because I was left without another option. There were people I had to find or protect or both. There were people beside me too, giving me strength. That much I know instinctively.

But now...

It's just me here.

I have no power in this world. My body is gone and my heart is in pieces. Only a few of those pieces remain with me, and those pieces bring comfort and pain in equal measure.

And my soul? It's only in tact because something out there is keeping it whole.

As for what that something is...beats me.

But since there's nothing else for me to do, I'll make a guess.

I have one complete memory. Just one.

The instant before I...died I guess...I heard someone call out to me.

She spoke softly, and I almost didn't hear her. I was distracted too because Kairi was in front of me. Nothing should have been able to pull my attention away from her.

But I heard my name. Sora.

I only remember it because she said it. That's my name. Sora.

The experiences I keep seeing are real experiences I had. I was a real person. I lived.

And I remember her name too...because it was the last thought I had before ending up here.

Aqua.

Our eyes locked for only a second, but in her eyes I saw myself. Who I was and who I still needed to be stared back at me through her.

It was strange...and beautiful.

I...wanted to stay.

I...wanted to stay because I didn't understand.

Why did she look at me like that? Why did she call out to me with so much sadness and longing in her eyes?

Why is her voice the only voice I remember?

Those are questions I would really like answers to, but I'm not sure I'll get the chance to ask. Guess we'll see. Anything is possible. Right?

There's no one to talk to here, but I like to pretend someone is listening out there. That somehow...my voice will find another soul longing for the way home.

Unexpected things are always going to happen in life. There is no avoiding this truth. In the end, each of us are only human, regardless of the power we may gain.

Some things are simply out of our control.

I'm beginning to understand that now.

So what's left once a person comes to this conclusion? Do we simply give up? Do we simply go through the motions and let the troubles of life toss us from tempest to tempest until nothing remains but a bitter shell?

There are many that do. I did.

Thanks to a special friend whose lost his way, I was granted a second chance to live.

Only one word describes the position I find myself in, standing before the grave of my former master.

Unexpected.

Terra, Ventus, and I originally marked this spot with his keyblade, but after only one night the weapon returned to me, naming me its new master once and for all. When this happened, the three of us opted to create a replica of the weapon. We studied the old keyblade meticulously, gathered materials together, and then, with the help of some crafting and fire magic, pieced the model keyblade together and placed it here on this hill.

This was how we spent most of our first week together after ten years of separation.

Studying the copies of our individual Wayfinder charms hanging on the reef of flowers we hung across the handle of the model keyblade, I reached into my pocket and withdrew a different charm. A simple chain with a silver crown pendant hanging on the end.

"Master...you would chastise me for going on a fool's errand like this, but..." I let the words hang in the air, smiling fondly at the memory of a hand reaching for mine in the depths. "I know he's out there somewhere. I have to try...because he saved me."

Curling my fingers around the pendant, I brought it to close to my heart and closed my eyes. "I won't let this become a grave decoration too. This belongs with Sora and I'm going to bring it to him. No matter what..."

In my mind, I could almost hear the warm sound of the Master's laugh.

May your heart by your guiding key.

Data corruption detected. Immediate action required.

Hmm...looks like someone scrambled the data again. In order to have a proper account of this branch, I'm going to have to find the missing pieces, then put them back in chronological order. Ugh! I hate it when people just barge in and makes a mess of my meticulous work! I have a system! Why does no one respect it? Why!?

Well, what's done is done, I suppose. No use in complaining about it. Just need to fix it.

Now...it looks like the scrambling issue begins immediately after Sora's disappearance and continues up to the point Master Aqua decides to find him, so there can't be too much data between those two points...

Oh come on!

Three days! Three days worth of information? I have to unscramble it all?

I'm going to murder whoever messed with this. I had this perfectly laid out and...just...gah!

Okay. Okay. Calm down. First things first. One step at a time. Fix this mess then murder some people. Now...how to do it...?

Oh! I know! A system reset and data overhaul should fix the errors popping up. From there I can set things straight again.

A gloved hand moved to a dial with the word "Reset" labeled neatly above it.

Alright. Make magic for me now!

The computer in front of this person emitted a sharp "ding" sound before a mechanical voice broke through the speakers.

System reset initiated. Begin data re-calibration?

Now, just a few quick keystrokes. There we go!

Leaning back in a tall black revolving chair, the mysterious person watches words and images dance along the screen.

Now beginning data re-calibration.

The mysterious person began whistling a somber tune to pass the time while the computer went about its work on the data.

ERROR ERROR!

The whistling came to an abrupt halt.

"What!? Are you kidding me?"

The data selected cannot be fully re-calibrated. Please select another operation.

This is more serious than I thought. Looks like I'll have to take the manual approach to this. What a pain. It takes so much longer this way.

The gloved fingers began to dance along the keypad again.

Whoever comes across this data later better appreciate all the work I'm having to do to correct this issue. Alright...let's start where we left off. Three hours after Sora's disappearance from Destiny Islands. Just need to add a special tagline for clarity...

~Three Days Earlier~

A/N: And that's the end of the chapter for now. I thought about combining this one with the next chapter, but ultimately decided not to because it's more fun for me this way. You guys can spend the time between this post and the next one pondering in confusion. Muhahaha! Feel free to share some of those thoughts in the comment box. Next chapter will be more normal. I promise. Also, please let me know if I wrote Sora's first person narrative alright. I attempted it before in the past, but at the time I didn't have a good feel for his character. After Kingdom Hearts 3, I feel like I understand his character a lot better, mainly because he reminded me of someone that's important to me. So, when I write for him now I just think of that person. It'll be a little bit before Sora makes his return, so input on how I'm writing him now is greatly appreciated. Thank you guys! All of your are awesome! God bless you all! Happy Valentine's Day too!